[SnoopyGirl]

Well, Snoopy had her follow up appointment for getting her stitches out after being spayed and her incision site is slightly infected. She did great with her stitches and then all of a sudden she became obsessed with licking it and wouldn't leave it alone. I noticed it getting a little red on Sat. evening, but of course the vet was closed all weekend. I took her in today and the vet said he would feel better putting her in the dreaded e-collar until Saturday and putting her on a 7 day course of antibiotics. I have no idea how to get her to take these pills. Anyone have any advice on the best way to do this? She looks so pitiful with that collar on and I feel so bad for her!

Thanks!
Jami and Snoopy

 

[Mom of 2 Beagles]

We always put pills in a piece of cheese and they gobble cheese and pill right down.

Our vet suggested we use Vicks Vapo rub after ours were fixed. You put some of it all around the stiches, not on them or even that near them, but a good few inches around them. The doggies don't like the smell and they don't lick the area.

 

[Java]

With Java, I had him open his mouth and stuck the pill all the way at the back of his throat where he naturally swallowed it. Of course, giving him a tasty treat afterwards helped.

Has Snoopy tried to walk and sniff? They learn quickly to hate the cone.

 

[Murphys Dad]

Since I was home with Chloe for those 10 days after her spay, I didn't use anything on her, just watched her carefully. She didn't bother it hardly at all.
I know there is a donut you an use instead of the e-collar....

 

[deb]

Somebody on this site gave me some wonderful advice on getting Peanut to take pills. Peanut Butter! She loves it and it helps the pills slide right down.

 

[Genie]

Shiloh has Cushings Disease and has to take 2 pills daily for the rest of her life. What I do is bury the capsule in a spoonful of canned dog food. I use Mighty Dog ground variety because it has to be mushy enough to mold around the pills, and not all brands are. Shiloh loves taking her meds this way and thinks medicine is another word for treat! Good luck!

 

[Murphys Dad]

Peanut butter. If she can sense the pill in it use crunchy. It's harder to detect a pill among the chunks of nuts. Let Snoopy keep licking your finger to get all the peanut butter off. She'll have to keep swallowing and is less likely to notice the pill. Works perfectly with Jersey.

 

[SnoopyGirl]

Thanks for the quick advice! I will definitely try the peanut butter. I happened to be cooking tacos tonight so I took out some ground beef after it browned and gave her pill to her in a pile of beef. I looked down and saw the pill on the floor! I had a little bit of beef left and managed to trkck her enough by talking to her and got the pill down. So, one down and 13 left! The anti-inflammatory pills that she is also on are chewable and liver flavor. Why oh why can't they do that to all dog meds???

Thanks for all your advice!

 

[Toby & Lucky]

Peanut Butter has always worked for us. Others that have worked for us too: pill rolled up in lunch meat, stuck down in a weenie bite, rolled up in small piece of bread - I am sure I have others! I have often just figured out something with what I had on hand!!!

 

[Murphys Dad]

I'm a little dense with my above reply.....

I hand the pills to Chloe... 99% of the time she just takes them off my hand and swallows...
I think the key is not making it a big deal.

 

[Lisa P]

I use Pill Pockets. In case you haven't heard of them they are soft dog treats with a hole in them that you can place the pill in and close up.

You can get them at most pet stores.

Has always been a big hit around here!

 

[Murphys Dad]

We second the Pill Pockets. They work like a charm.

I am also an expert at the shove to the back of the throat trick too. Just in case we run out of Pill Pockets.

 

[Genie]

I was in a hurry yesterday and forgot to add that another thing you can try are Pill Pockets. I used them once with my daughter's cat, but there are varieties for dogs, too. They are soft moist treats with a little opening in them so you can bury a pill. They come in varying sizes. I got mine at the vet's, but have seen them at pet supply stores too. Worked well for Magic kitty.

 

[cobismom]

We swear by peanut butter and a cracker at our house....if that doesn't work a little bit of liverwurst on the pill and it takes just like chicken )

Cathy J cobismom

 

[beaglesmom]

Like the others, I have used peanut butter, pill pockets, cheese, or hot dogs. To be honest, what works best with these kids (who always think they're starving) is just roll the pill in a little piece of <span style="text-decoration: underline">soft</span> bread. It helps to have several other dogs standing around drooling so the pill taker thinks he/she will miss out on it if it's not grabbed quickly - heaven knows we wouldn't want someone else to get OUR bite of bread

! And NO, none of them are starving - tho if you ask them, they'll say they are! The pill pockets do work well, but they're really rather pricey - and the soft bread works just as well for the beagle brats - and it's way less messy than cheese or peanut butter. The others all get a bite of bread too, so everyone is happy.

 

[BookerMoose]

Booker prefers a nice brie or camembert for her morning thyroid pill! And because they are soft you can stick the pill in and wrap the cheese around... I don't think she even knows the pill is in there. Soft bread is another good option - or a fruit bread with raisins that are soft so that you can slide the pill into! Peanut butter is our third choice if we have no suitable cheese or bread - but it is definitely the messiest of the options we usually use (but just as effective).

And I agree with Glenda that having other dogs around drooling for their treat at the same time works wonders!

 

[Tucker]

Tucker gets a half a Benadryl everyday and we use spray cheese. I put a little on my finger and put the pill in it and he just licks it off. We keep a can in the dog drawer for pills. Jasmine earned her nickname Piranah from this method. She eventually did learn to not use her teeth.